The Hard Lessons of Matthew Perry’s Death
The indictments of the five people charged in connection to the death of actor Matthew Perry appear to be an appropriate response to the illicit supply of ketamine and other medications apparently supplied by physicians acting completely outside of clinical practice and the treatment of serious addiction, as well as those unscrupulously dealing drugs. Diversion, co-dependence, and bad behavior by those involved with Perry thereby facilitated his addiction and intoxication–and by Perry himself as an addict to multiple substances including ketamine, and the failed impact of the treatment programs he attended. Supplying ketamine to a ketamine dependent person whether by an IV clinic or illicitly is contributing to dependence, cravings and further use.
Falling or going into a hot tub without supervision under the influence of an anesthetic dose of ketamine and other sedating medicines and thereby drowning is the cause of death. Had he not entered the hot tub he would be alive–and seriously dependent on k and multiple substances as he was. Obviously, abstinence would have been a necessity for healing.
As more information is released about Perry’s prior use of ketamine, it is clear that he began receiving administration of ketamine in intravenous clinics, perhaps as early as 2020 in Switzerland. Perry’s initial reactions to ketamine have been characterized in his own writings as euphoric and hooked on ego death; then subsequently stopping due to hangovers. When and where he resumed use of ketamine is unclear. What appears to have been the case is that at some point he went ketamine clinic shopping, with varying results in terms of access and the quantities administered. This when he was successful in being admitted to treatment.
It is patently obvious that the standard of care for clinical practice with ketamine needs to not include reintroducing those with a prior history of dependence and addiction to resumption of ketamine use. And for Perry, this meant use of increasing amounts of ketamine, at an increasing frequency, and turning to criminal doctors and dealers.
Perry’s Use of Ketamine
Perry’s own passion for ketamine is now well documented and his last days are marked by frequent episodes of high dose ketamine and oblivion. His sensitivity to ketamine was retained though one dose, perhaps the last dose, was reported to be an injection of 360mg, which is an anesthetic level of ketamine far in excess of clinical use in psychiatric practice. That he was anesthetized and therefore needing close supervision and prevention from entering the hot tub is absolutely clear.
In one prior instance, he was described as as ‘comatose’—meaning he was so far under the anesthetic influence that he was not responsive, but nonetheless very alive. This appears to have been the state he increasingly sought as least an unheard of three times in his last days of life, and many times per day in the days prior, Knowledge of his increasing desire to obliterate ordinary consciousness for the escape to the wherever and whatever of the ketamine k-hole was abundant and extraordinarily fostered, with no intervention taking place.
The social aspect of Perry’s death is of great concern. Two facts stand out: We intervene with our friends who are in trouble, not foster their addiction. We provide safety and supervision when they are out of it and helpless to run their lives in the moment—and continue that intervention after they have come back from the deep space of the journey. Matthew Perry drowned. Ketamine does not kill at anesthetic doses—it puts us into a safe anesthesia as is a constant in its use for surgery. What kills is carelessness, lack of support for safety, and the obliteration of clear mind leading to errors of judgment.
The story of Matthew Perry is haunting. Not just because he is needlessly no longer with us, but because a soul ceased to function as a constructive vital presence and got lost in the trivial pursuit of addiction that has no rewards or benefits, but too much enticement. We are not really good at either prevention or recuperation. We are not very good at finding paths of abstinence that are restitutive.
We are losing so many good people to the stupidities of using adulterated substances that cause overdoses, to enabling drug dependencies, to not providing resources and a climate of concern that fosters our being constructive in each other’s lives when we see the troubles emerging. Matthew Perry is an alarm, a teacher of what is occurring, and hopefully, his struggle and ending will serve us to take care of each other.